When the Minerva traveled back to the Spirit of Bentheim that was located far to the rear, the expert command mech received an honor guard of first-class multipurpose mechs dispatched by the Red Association.
That was on top of the fixed escort of Living Sentinel mechs that always accompanied Casella's machine!
There were legitimate concerns that the native aliens might seek to end Saint Casella's life before she had any time to make use of her newfound strength and vastly expanded command field.
As long as there was a phase lord out there that was willing to take a dangerous gamble, he or she could opt to make a precision teleportation strike and smash apart the Minerva now that she was at her most vulnerable state in years.
The ascension of a new ace pilot among red humanity spelled bad news to the native aliens.
